Although the quartz itself is found everywhere, most of it is not crystallized, which is the quartz you see in kitchen countertops and jewelry. To form crystals, quartz has to be heated, such as from an underground heat source. It is during the cooling phase that one atom of silicon combines with four oxygen atoms to form beautiful, six-sided prisms. For the most part, ancient people found quartz in caves and near the surface and used it for jewelry and other adornments. It was also used in stone tools because quartz has a hardness rating of seven out of ten.

Because of its unusual shape, quartz was thought (and still is thought by some) to contain magical and/or healing properties. It has been found in many ancient burial plots in Europe and in Ireland. Jade, a quartz stone variety, has been prized by ancient cultures for thousands of years due to its gorgeous green color.

Quartz is found in very few places in the world in large pockets big enough to mine, one of them being in Arkansas. It is usually mined in open pits with the help of explosives to expose the veins of quartz. Quartz can be easily damaged if not mined properly and carefully.